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Biota reports preliminary data from CS-8958 Phase III trial against influenza

Dr Seizaburo Kashiwagi presented the preliminary data from an influenza Phase III prophylaxis study conducted during the 2009/2010 pandemic flu season in Japan.

27 Jun 2011

Policy leaders to identify targeted strategies for creating national breastfeeding agenda

One hundred invited health and policy leaders will meet again in Washington, D.C. on June 29-30 to identify targeted strategies for establishing a national breastfeeding agenda as part of our nation's Health Reform, building on the essential recommendations and positive outcomes of the Second Annual Summit held last June.

27 Jun 2011

Health law implementation progress, issues continue to draw attention

For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure's health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow.

24 Jun 2011

Recommendations to curb high rates of obesity among young children

Limiting television and other media use, encouraging infants and young children in preschool and child care to spend more time in physically active play, and requiring child care providers to promote healthy sleeping practices are some of the actions needed to curb high rates of obesity among America's youngest children, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

24 Jun 2011

News outlets detail ACO concerns, historic perspectives

The idea of coordinating care through accountable care organizations used to be a non-ideological notion. Not anymore. At a briefing for Capitol Hill staff sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, conservative critics complained about the Obama administration's work on ACOs.

24 Jun 2011

State roundup: N.Y. and union reach deal on benefits

The state's largest public-employee union, acknowledging the pressures on government workers around the nation, agreed on Wednesday to major wage and benefits concessions in a pact to avoid sweeping layoffs. The five-year agreement ... includes a three-year wage freeze, the first furloughs ever for state workers and an increase in the amount employees must pay toward their health insurance.

24 Jun 2011

Silicone gel-filled breast implants: FDA releases updated data

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a report today updating the clinical and scientific information for silicone gel-filled breast implants, including preliminary safety data from studies conducted by the manufacturers as a condition of their November 2006 approval.

23 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 23, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that the Department of Health and Human Services will scale back the health law's rules on patient health care appeals.

23 Jun 2011

Middle-class early retirees may be eligible for Medicaid in 2014

As a result of the health law, many early retirees may in 2014 be eligible for Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor. This expansion, which is being termed a "glitch" and is drawing significant Republican reaction, could mean that early retirees with household incomes up to $64,000 would qualify.

23 Jun 2011

Sungwon president signs consent decree of permanent injunction for seafood products: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Sungwon Inc of Columbia, a Columbia, Md., corporation, and the company's president, Sang Ja Lee, have signed a consent decree of permanent injunction.

23 Jun 2011

Policy news: Speculation surrounds soon-to-be released exchange regs

Meanwhile, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick takes a message about accountable care organizations on the road, selling the model in Minneapolis to nurses, doctors and other health professionals.

23 Jun 2011

Experts to focus on Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome at New York Academy of Sciences conference

On June 28-30, 2011, the New York Academy of Sciences will bring together scientists and clinicians from a wide range of subspecialties, in addition to patients and caregivers, to discuss the most important recent advances in our understanding of the clinical features, management, and treatment of Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS)-a rare disorder involving multiple organ systems and affecting children and young adults.

23 Jun 2011

Obama administration launches effort to tout Medicare preventive benefits

The number of Medicare recipients who take advantage of these services has only increased slightly. The availability of these benefits was expanded by the health law.

22 Jun 2011

U.S. FDA unveils nine graphic health warnings on cigarette packages

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today unveiled the nine graphic health warnings required to appear on every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States and in every cigarette advertisement.

21 Jun 2011

FDA confirms printed prescription drug ads affect consumer understanding of medications

Findings from three studies conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirm that the way information is conveyed and displayed in printed drug advertising affects consumer understanding of prescription medications.

21 Jun 2011

FDA's draft guidance document addresses artificial pancreas system for type 1 diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued draft guidance that will help advance the development and approval of an artificial pancreas system to treat type 1 diabetes in the United States.

21 Jun 2011

U.S. FDA approves generic Levaquin for treatment of bacterial infections

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Levaquin, an antibiotic approved to treat certain infections in people ages 18 and older.

21 Jun 2011

September will mark the end of HHS mini-med waiver program

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that it will stop accepting applications for waivers from the health law's minimum coverage requirements.

20 Jun 2011

FDA's new strategy calls for coalitions of international regulators, increased data sharing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today unveiled a new strategy to meet the challenges posed by rapidly rising imports of FDA-regulated products and a complex global supply chain in a report called the "Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality."

20 Jun 2011

HHS announces deadline for health law waivers

The Obama administration said Friday that it was shutting down a program that had provided exemptions from the new health care law for many employers and labor unions offering bare-bones insurance coverage to workers.

20 Jun 2011